by Jazmin Nicole RNC-OB, BSN, USAF
So, you are thinking about completing your Masterís degree. You may be just graduating with your bachelorís, established in your career, seeking career advancement, or an overall career change. You should commend yourself wherever you currently are in your pr (full story below)

by Jazmin Nicole RNC-OB, BSN, USAF

So, you are thinking about completing your Masterís degree. You may be just graduating with your bachelorís, established in your career, seeking career advancement, or an overall career change. You should commend yourself wherever you currently are in your professional journey. Graduate school is essential for career progression and as daunting as the challenge may be it is feasible and worthwhile. However, there are certain things that I wish I had known previously to enrolling in my first graduate courses that would have saved me a ton of grief on this grad school journey.

Learn the APA Manual

Do you briefly remember being introduced to this in your undergraduate English and Research classes? You know, the blue book that you couldnít wait to toss as soon as you completed those courses! Well, donít get too excited and toss that manual out just yet. The APA manual will be your bible at the graduate level. It is best to not only familiarize yourself with it but read it cover to cover. In all seriousness, there will be no mercy for APA formatting issues at the graduate level, and failure to comply will hinder your ability to graduate. Letís be honest; graduate school is very expensive so do not lose points over APA errors and get your bang for your bucks when itís time to cash in on that top G.P.A.

Proofread

Grad school will push your writing capabilities to the maximum. When I first started, I went in under the false pretenses that I was a decent writer. After all, my highest scores were always in English and Language Arts. However, never underestimate the power of proofreading your document, or having someone else review it. It is important to remember that you are not supposed to be writing as if you are talking in scholarly writing. Read every single thing you submit out loud at least two times before turning it in. You will be surprised at some errors you will find in your documents once you hear it out loud. I swear by Owlet Purdue, Grammarly, and PERRLA to assist with the completion of my papers.

Donít Break

One of the biggest mistakes that I made during my Grad school journey was ďtaking a breakĒ. Apparently, life happens to everybody, but if you can help it, you should stay on the course to graduate on time. While taking a leave of absence is certainly an option, there are some universities have a time limit on the amount of time you can spend on the completion of your masterís degree. Taking a leave of absence sounds a nice break until you return and you are under even more pressure to complete your degree. Stay on track and graduate on time. Put yourself out of grad school misery. Try not to prolong it.

Find Balance

My zodiac sign of a Libra makes finding balance very high on my priority list. Regardless of your sign, it is essential to find a way to balance everything you have going on in life. Many of us are career focused, have spouses or partners, children, and community obligations. There are going to be some times that you will simply have to say no to others as well as avoid taking on too many additional duties. You have to be able to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Do not feel guilty about taking a step back or going on a much need hiatus to keep everything together. Remember that this is temporary, and there will always be opportunities to restock your plate once you have graduated.

Cost vs. Reputation

This has been an ongoing debate for such a long time. I will give you my honest opinion and say that it is best to go for value in regards to selecting a school to attend. There is absolutely nothing wrong with investing yourself, but please do not break the bank along the way. Try your very best to avoid debt, save up, and develop a reasonable budget that you can use to finance your educational goals. If you are shelling out a ton of money, ensure that the institution has a reputation that fits your tuition bill. Student loan debt is a serious problem. Remember that you will need to pay that money back, and if this degree does not make a high paying job seem promising to you it may be necessary to scale back. Remember, grad school isnít cheap!

Wrapping it All Up

I hope that you avoid the pitfalls that I incurred during my grad school journey and that these tips will help ease you in your transition and prepare you for entry into grad school. A graduate degree is totally obtainable; itís just a different academic dynamic. Iíll see you on the other side!

Jazmin Nicole RNC-OB, BSN, USAF

Lead Blogger and Advisory Board Member for Black Nurses Rock at Black Nurses Rock/iamjazminnicole

Jazmin is a lifestyle blogger, Air Force Labor and
Delivery nurse that is currently stationed at
Yokota AB, in Tokyo Japan.Jazmin is the lead blogger and advisory board member for Black Nurses Rock. Jazmin is also the CEO and founder of JNS Enterprises.

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